Worth Proving
At Hyun-jun’s answer, Jin-a fell silent, unable to find words.
“Kang Hyun-jun, I won’t deny that rising from an F-Class Hunter to A-Class in just half a year after reaching C-Class is impressive. But by the standards of a second awakener, it isn’t especially extraordinary. Second awakeners may be rare, but if you look, you can find people who won’t make demands like this.”
“Rising from C-Class to A-Class in half a year may not be extraordinary, as Lee Jin-a says. But...”
Hyun-jun stopped there for a moment, then took a step toward Jin-a. She met his gaze calmly and waited for the rest.
“What if it’s S-Class?”
“You think you can be judged S-Class at the next reassessment?” Jin-a asked, curious why Hyun-jun was so overflowing with confidence.
“Yes. I’m going to request a reevaluation this time. I’m confident I can secure an S-Class rating.”
Because of the descent, or perhaps only a little, Hyun-jun could feel what remained of Durendal’s power. Right now, he thought he might actually be able to receive an S-Class Hunter assessment.
“You were only recently made an A-Class Hunter. You won’t have enough achievements to qualify for promotion.”
“As far as achievements go, I understand they can be solved with overwhelming strength. Or I can receive help from Lee Jin-a.”
“Who said I’d help you?”
At Hyun-jun’s utterly brazen attitude, Jin-a shook her head as if she were at a loss.
“You’ll have no choice but to help me.”
“I do see you in a favorable light, Kang Hyun-jun, but if you keep barging in like this, you’re making things difficult. At the very least, you have to prove your value before I’d consider investing.”
“Proving my value...”
Hyun-jun muttered with a faint smile. Seeing that, Jin-a spoke with a composed expression.
“If you think you can prove your worth, send a message to this number by 3 p.m. tomorrow.”
Jin-a handed Hyun-jun a business card. Her contact information was printed on it.
“It’s a work number, so don’t misunderstand.”
Leaving him with those incomprehensible words, Jin-a departed the room with Seok-hyeon. After the two of them left, only Hyun-jun, Tae-min, and Jong-seo remained in the hospital room.
“The ‘proof of value’ Lee Jin-a mentioned will probably be a duel.” Tae-min said. A duel was the surest way for a hunter to prove their worth. Hyun-jun, if anything, thought the situation had worked out in his favor. Thanks to Durendal’s descent, several of his sword techniques still lingered in memory, and he wanted to test them out.
“A duel... Then who do you think the opponent will be?”
“The odds are highest that Lee Jin-a herself will come. The Jaeil Group doesn’t have an official guild, so there’s a limit to the S-Class Hunters she can mobilize.”
Jong-seo answered Hyun-jun’s question with the crisp clarity of a man who ran information. That was a reassuringly precise response.
“Will Jin-a become our shield?”
The one who asked carefully was Tae-min. Becoming a shield or backing for some faction was no easy decision. In Jin-a’s case as well, she was the Jaeil Group’s second daughter, but not the chairman, so it would be difficult for her to decide something like that on her own. That was why she had emphasized “proof of value” to Hyun-jun in the first place.
“Jin-a looks mild on the surface, but even the information known to the public shows that she has ambition. If she comes to understand my value, she’ll invest in the future, at the very least.”
Hyun-jun pulled his gaze away from the window and said it. Then he turned toward the door of the room and went on.
“We know nothing about the forces lurking behind us and aiming at us. There’s no harm in preparing at least one solid shield.”
“I agree.”
“So do I.”
Tae-min and Jong-seo nodded in agreement as well.
“I’ll be going now. Executive Director, focus on recovering.”
With that, Hyun-jun left the room first.
“Executive Director. I’ll be going too.”
Jong-seo bowed his head and left after him. Alone at last, Tae-min looked down at his two hands wrapped in bandages, his eyes flashing.
“I didn’t carry out the Guild Leader’s order properly this time...”
Tae-min clenched his fists so hard that the muscles in his arms tightened, biting his lip until it drew blood.
“But from now on, I’ll protect it no matter what...”
There was iron in his voice, unyielding and set.
*
He had been told to send his message by 3 p.m., but Hyun-jun sent one to Jin-a’s work number around 1 instead. The reply arrived ten minutes later.
I’ll send a car to the guild office.
She didn’t tell him to come find her on his own. That alone was enough to show that Jin-a was, in her own way, being considerate of Hyun-jun.
It’ll arrive in 15 minutes.
The moment he was about to put his smartphone away, another message came in. Judging from the estimated time, it seemed they were sending a vehicle from Suwon. After confirming that no more messages were coming in, Hyun-jun called Jong-seo, who was handling executive duties in Tae-min’s place while he recovered in bed.
“It’s the Information Director.”
At length, Jong-seo’s voice came with a knock. Hyun-jun set his smartphone down and spoke.
“Come in.”
“Excuse me.”
The door opened slowly, and Jong-seo walked in.
“How is Jo Hye-ri’s side?”
“I was worried she’d make a scene if she woke up, so I put her under restraint and let her sleep. I’ve kept her under continuous drug sedation, so... for the time being, she’ll stay quiet and sleep.”
“Good. Please keep an eye on her while I’m away.”
“I’ve assigned trusted members from among the executive division’s elite, so there won’t be anything for you to worry about.”
Hearing Jong-seo speak with that self-assured tone put Hyun-jun at ease.
“I’m leaving it to you.”
It was about time. Hyun-jun finished speaking and stood. Then he took the thin coat hanging on the rack. September was approaching, but the weather was still hot. Even so, since he was going to meet the Jaeil Group’s second daughter, he intended to dress properly.
“You don’t need to worry.”
Leaving Jong-seo behind, he went down to the first floor of the guild office. After waiting about three minutes, a black sedan stopped in front of him. Then a man in a black suit got out from the driver’s seat and opened the back door.
He looks like he’s dying of heat.
A long-sleeved black suit in this weather... It was an appalling outfit.
“Get in. We’ll depart immediately.”
“Understood.”
With a small shake of his head to shake off stray thoughts, Hyun-jun got into the back seat at the driver’s urging. It was cool inside, likely because the air conditioner was already on, and that suited him just fine.
“We’re departing.”
“Where are we going?”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you that.”
“Fine. Do as you like.”
The driver never answered him in the end. Hyun-jun had thought of looking out the window to figure out their location, but even from inside, the windows were so heavily blinded that it was hard to see outside at all.
“We’ve arrived.”
Opening the door and stepping out, Hyun-jun quickly moved his eyes over the surroundings. It looked like an ordinary underground parking garage, but the wide space held only one vehicle: the black sedan he had just gotten out of.
“Young lady is waiting for you.”
“Lead the way.”
Hyun-jun followed the guide and stepped into an elevator. When the doors opened again, the driver moved ahead first. At the end of a long corridor stood a large entrance door. The man who had driven him took out a card and swiped it; the door opened, revealing a broad space beyond. It was his first time entering a place like this, but because he had seen so many descriptions of such rooms in hunter communities, he could tell what it was without difficulty.
A duel chamber...
He could feel strong walls, a reinforced ceiling, and the floor engraved with rites designed to prevent mana from leaking out. In the past, he would not have understood any of it, but now he had at least some relevant knowledge thanks to Hashashin’s skills among his past lives.
There was no reason to engrave concealment rites into a normal duel chamber. The fragmentary memories that had awakened from Hashashin kept telling him that this place was a secret location.
“Do you like it?”
With a sudden presence, Jin-a appeared out of empty air. The only thing different from usual was that she was holding a white staff set with purple mana stones.
“It’s a decent place.”
“I actually wanted to try a duel. At first I planned to keep it light, of course... but after seeing you toss around S-Class so easily, I changed my mind a little.”
Put bluntly, she was saying she intended to fix his habits. Hyun-jun raised the corner of his mouth and shook his head. Who exactly was the one who needed to change their mind?
“Don’t worry. I’m not planning to kill you.”
“So we start right away?”
Coldness seeped into Hyun-jun’s voice. In both hands, he already held a sword and shield.
“Still, I have the advantage, so I’ll let you have the first move.”
“Who...”
She vanished.
“...is at an advantage?”
Behind him. He hadn’t sensed a thing.
Fire Breath
As befitted an S-Class Hunter, a high-level spell completed in an instant. The magic circle that formed around Jin-a spat out searing flames.
Hyun-jun had no choice but to retreat, but the goal of seizing the initiative had been achieved, and that was enough to satisfy her.
Not a trace of presence.
Jin-a swallowed dryly. She, who ranked in the middle tier among S-Class Hunters, had missed his movement entirely. For her, it was surprising; for Hyun-jun, who was drawing on Hashashin’s protection and experience, it was only natural.
“I’m going to get serious now.”
As he finished speaking, he drew up his mana.
"The valiant sword of Sidenmiller is with you. So long as righteous courage does not break, the sword will never shatter."
"The righteous shield of Carthago protects you. So long as great protection remains with you, nothing can threaten you."
⟨ Sidenmiller and Carthago ⟩
The blessings of Sidenmiller and Carthago manifested. But Hyun-jun still did not stop.
Should I test Durendal’s power?
After the descent, some of Durendal’s power and memories remained. If he handled them well, it seemed possible to draw out a blessing artificially. Since the connection to Durendal already existed through the descent, it was not impossible in theory.
“Durendal...”
Hyun-jun softly let the name of that past life slip from his lips and used the remembered rite to channel mana into his sword.
Durendal is with you. Brilliant radiance dwells in the righteous sword.
K, khh...
As the mana poured out as though it were a waterfall, the Aura Blade shone brilliantly and swelled in size. It was a dazzling blue aura so bright it hurt the eyes.
“H-hey, that radiance?”
Seok-hyeon, who had been watching the situation from a short distance away, saw the massive Aura Blade and thought of Ahn Hyeon-ji, the so-called Blue Light of Heaven.
This is dangerous.
Jin-a realized it instinctively.
I was wrong. This man is different from the other second awakeners.
She changed her mind.
He’s a far more terrifying monster.
If she didn’t give everything she had, she would die.
A black robe emerges from an item storage space.
Jin-a used a simple spell to slip it on quickly. It took less than 0.1 seconds to put on. Hyun-jun knew exactly what the item she had equipped was.
The robe of the Dark Mage...
It was an S-Class item. Even just the excellent options, such as casting speed acceleration and mana control enhancement, were numerous. More frightening than that was the near-perfect concealment option attached to it.
“Concealment.”
With the low utterance, Jin-a’s form disappeared. Offensive spells surged like a storm, but Hyun-jun did not panic and blocked all of them.
If she uses a high-level spell, concealment breaks. She’ll definitely try to use it after getting close.
In a normal situation, the one who fell for that would have suffered a fatal wound. But Hyun-jun had Hashashin.
Hashashin’s insidious laugh warns you of danger. Someone is aiming for your heart.
In that instant, Hyun-jun stepped back and swung his sword. Jin-a remained concealed, but the attack range of the great Aura Blade was wide. In the end, she broke concealment and cast a defensive spell.
-[damage] HP
Absolute Shield!
A grand magic usable only by magic-type Hunters of S-Class or higher. But could it hold?
BOOM!
At the collision, Absolute Shield shattered, and the force sent Jin-a’s body flying into the wall of the duel chamber.
“Ku, kuhk!”
But Hyun-jun still did not stop. To keep her from getting the last word, he kicked off the ground and hurled himself toward Jin-a. The Aura Blade drove into the side of her neck.
“You... were a monster.”
“Do you admit defeat?”
Instead of answering, Jin-a gave a faint smile and nodded.